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“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, GoodReads.

“Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”

– Warren Buffett, BrainyQuotes.

“Most of us are imprisoned by something. We’re living in darkness until something flips on the switch.”

– Wynonna Judd, GoodReads.

“Like a snake sheds its skin, we are capable of getting rid of assembled habits, creating space to call matters into question…We can retreat, then, from the imprisonment of a deadly routine, acquire an identity and develop our personality.”

– Erik Pevernagie, “Man Without Qualities.”

The American economy is becoming the envy of the world, says a new report in NewsMax.

While U.S. economic growth is surging, other national economies are reportedly slipping and faltering.

Coincidence? Hardly.

Even left-of-center sources or Democratic supporting political supporters are starting to acknowledge that Trump Administration policies, including regulatory rollbacks, and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, are fueling economic expansion.

Jobs that former President Barack Obama said where never coming back to the U.S. – like mining and manufacturing – are roaring back under the Trump Administration’s leadership.

Billionaires Warren Buffett, Chase’s Jaime Dimon Praise U.S. Economy

For those who don’t know, Warren Buffett has been a Trump critic long before his successful run for the Oval Office.

So, it is worth noting that Warren Buffett, who supported Barack Obama and later Secretary Hillary Clinton, recently praised the U.S. economic recovery that has been occurring as a result of President of the United States (POTUS) Donald J. Trump’s leadership.

Buffett says you should buy stocks, or make investments, when the long-term outlook in a field or company is good. Think about that as you ponder Berkshire Hathaway’s moves in the manufactured housing industry space in the last 15 years.

This Buffett quote is worth pondering in the light of MHI and related controversies.

The DOJ’s Inspector General’s Report

On 6.14.2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (IG) Office released an eighteen month report that points to issues with the 2016 election that point to a “Deep State,” and to issues that aren’t based in Russia, but rather are found right here in the U.S.A.

Before diving into elements of the DOJ IG report, let’s set the table with an understanding of the origin of the concept of the Deep State.

What is the “Deep State?”

Wikipedia says that “The term “deep state” was defined in 2014 by Mike Lofgren, a former Republican U.S. congressional aide, as “a hybrid association of elements of government and parts of top-level finance and industry that is effectively able to govern the United States without reference to the consent of the governed as expressed through the formal political process.”

According to whistleblower Edward Snowden, “the deep state is not just the intelligence agencies, it is really a way of referring to the career bureaucracy of government. These are officials who sit in powerful positions, who don’t leave when presidents do, who watch presidents come and go…they influence policy, they influence presidents.”

While some, like the New York Times, dismiss the notion of the Deep State, it is becoming widely discussed across the left-right media divide. The discussion on the so-called deep state is so intense, it’s spawned an upcoming cable TV series on Epix.

Part of the issue of “Deep State” bureaucrats, who are shown as flaunting rules that prohibit them from playing favorites, leaking information to the press, having their own agenda vs. that of an elected administration, and the like.

There are those in MHVille who point to Pam Danner, the prior administrator of the Office if Manufactured Housing Programs at HUD, as an example of the Deep State at work in ways that harmed the manufactured housing industry. Danner did so, they say, until she was finally removed.

While he focused on the military-industrial complex, President Dwight D. Eisenhower raised a similar theme to the Deep State over half-a-century ago. In his 1961 farewell address, POTUS Ike said “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

The maxim of the proverbial “power behind the throne” makes it clear that various understandings of the Deep State are ancient, not new.

The IG’s Report Points to Deep State Woes

The DOJ’s IG report is a both a political and legal document. It claims that there is no evidence of undue influence or favoritism, before or since the 2016 election, in the FBI or DOJ.

Nevertheless, sources that have read the over 500 page report say it is replete with examples of the opposite.

Attorney, constitutional author, and talk radio firebrand Mark Levin – who at one point was a “never Trump” believer – gives a quick litany of examples. Levin lays out the facts of how the IG report reveals wildly problematic legal issues, with a strongly and illicit anti-Trump bias.

Tucker Carlson, who has an independent, libertarian bent, had several features last night that likewise raised issues with the IG report.

The president’s legal-team point man, former New York Mayor Ruddy Giuliani, said the IG report is proof that the entire special counsel handling has been tainted from the beginning. He claims it is leading away from clear evidence of illegalities allegedly committed by Secretary Clinton and her supporters.

Meanwhile, with no evidence yet of any direct or illegal ties to Russia by the Trump campaign, there were “spies” (informants) used, electronic, and other surveillance methods used against now President Trump’s team.

The deep state could be viewed through the “Drain the Swamp” lens that helped elect Donald Trump.

When senior FBI agents vowed to keep Mr. Trump from winning, or would cause him to be wrongfully impeached once he won, it is a constitutionally frightening development.

Elections are a peaceful way of selecting representatives of the people in a Republic. Elections create a stake for voters. But if elections can be rigged by high-level public officials, attempting to work behind the scenes, that’s a problem that will not end well.

But it would be naïve to think that high-level “rigging of the system” was new.

We noted the concern of President Eisenhower. But other examples exist of the power of the unelected bureaucratic federal officials – including but not limited to, the FBI – during the Vietnam conflict, and during the civil rights movement.

This is why vigilance is necessary. That’s a basic price of freedom.

Every day, foreign powers seek to influence each other’s politics. That’s nothing new. The U.S. has done it, China and Russia do it, as do other nations too. So the hype – mostly from the left – over “Russia, Russia, Russia” shouldn’t be overlooked, but it must be taken in context.

For Americans to remain free, “We, the People” must be properly informed. President Trump and Bernie Sanders alike were debatably correct when each said that the “system is rigged.”

Day by day, it seems clear that the 45th Chief Executive of the United States means to keep his campaign promises.

Everyone has character foibles and flaws.

James Watt was known for insightful quotes.

But Mr. Trump is demonstrably taking the nation in a better economic direction. The steps he’s taken have been good for business in general, and good for manufactured housing.

Editorially, MHProNews has and continues to support President Trump based upon principles like tax cuts that have worked for past Democratic and Republican presidents alike.

As the midterms are approaching, there is a fight within the Democratic party between moderate and more socialistic Democrats. So say members of the Democratic party.

“A majority of the American public believe that the U.S. government engages in widespread monitoring of its own citizens and worry that the U.S. government could be invading their own privacy,” said Monmouth University in a recent media release to the Daily Business News.

“The Monmouth University Poll also finds a large bipartisan majority who feel that national policy is being manipulated or directed by a “Deep State” of unelected government officials,” said their statement.

Issues that manufactured housing professionals face – such as HUD or CFPB regulatory overreach in recent years – are directly tied to the question above.

“Americans of color on the center and left and NRA members on the right are among those most worried about the reach of government prying into average citizens’ lives,” Monmouth’s polling summary stated.

The timing of the poll results coincides with concerns over social media giant Facebook, and how they handle – and distribute – the data they collect. Other tech-giants are drawing scrutiny, as more Americans wonder just how much tech, government, media and politics touch each other in ways that attempt to manipulate or control Americans.

Politics, Economics, Media, Markets and Manufactured Housing

Last week’s market dive, was followed by yesterday’s #3 all time record rise in the Dow. Observers have noted that correlation between political news and market movements. Those moves naturally impact manufactured home stocks and businesses too.

Just over half of the public is either very worried (23%) or somewhat worried (30%) about the U.S. government monitoring their activities and invading their privacy.

There are no significant partisan differences, per Monmouth in this poll. 57% of independents, 51% of Republicans, and 50% of Democrats are at least somewhat worried the federal government is monitoring their activities. Another 24% of the American public are not too worried and 22% are not at all worried.

Fully 8-in-10 believe that the U.S. government currently monitors or spies on the activities of American citizens, including a majority (53%) who say this activity is widespread and another 29% who say such monitoring happens but is not widespread. Just 14% say this monitoring does not happen at all. There are no substantial partisan differences in these results.

“This is a worrisome finding. The strength of our government relies on public faith in protecting our freedoms, which is not particularly robust. And it’s not a Democratic or Republican issue. These concerns span the political spectrum,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The monthly private payroll jobs report from ADP and Moody’s Analytics was released today, and it appears that President Donald Trump’s “America First” plans are taking shape.

According to CNBC, job creation surged in May thanks to a jump in construction positions and a boom in professional and business services, up 253,000, which is significantly higher than the expectations from economists surveyed by Reuters, which projected a number of 185,000.

Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics. Credit: CNBC.

“The growth is three times the rate of the growth in the underlying labor force,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics.

“So that means the unemployment rate, which is 4.4 percent, is quickly headed to 4 percent. This labor market is rip-roaring and getting really tight.”

Leading the way in jobs created was the services sector, with 205,000 new jobs, professional and business services contributing 88,000 jobs, which represents the best month for the sector in nearly three years, and education and health services adding 54,000 jobs.

The report noted that the construction sector added 37,000 jobs as the building season heats up, while manufacturing grew by 8,000 jobs and mining grew by 3,000 jobs.

Credit: CNBC.

As Daily Business News readers are aware, the mining sector has been one of the cornerstones of President Trump’s agenda.

The positive report comes at a time where economists are doubtful that the Trump administration can deliver on its goal of three percent annual GDP growth, in part because the labor market is near full employment.

The report from ADP and Moody’s Analytics are regular precursors to the nonfarm payrolls count from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Economists estimate that payroll growth will come in around 176,000, down from the previous month’s 211,000.

“The Proof is in the Pudding…”

The President and First Lady visit Saudi Arabia. 300 billion in deals were completed during the visit. Credit: The White House.

As the Daily Business News covered in a feature story recently, while President Trump continues to make progress, including the lowest unemployment rate in decades, and the highest consumer, business confidence, and homebuilder confidence numbers in years, along with over $300 billion in deals with Saudi Arabia, what ELS Chairman Sam Zell colorfully called a “cacophony” of Deep State resistance has moved into high gear.

Even with that Deep State resistance, NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan, and industry organizations like MHARR, talked about the potentially massive impact that the Trump Administration could have.

“Small business owners are clearly encouraged by the election results, but now it’s time for President-elect Trump and congressional leaders to deliver,” said Duggan.

“Federal taxes, regulations, and Obamacare are the three biggest impediments to running a small business in America. Small business owners have high expectations that those problems will be addressed.”

For more on President Trump’s progress, and challenges, click here. ##

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